Israeli forces demolish tourist tent in Bethlehem-area village

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces demolished a tourist tent on Monday morning in the village of Battir, in the southern occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem.

According to Hasan Brijieh, representative of the Bethlehem anti-settlements and wall committee, said that the tent was set up by Palestinian locals to receive tourists coming to visit the historic village of Battir.

Breijieh added that even though the tent was set up on private Palestinian land, Israeli forces demolished the tent on the pretext that it was set up without a difficult-to-obtain Israeli-issued permit.

Since 2014, the village of Battir, west of Bethlehem district, is inscribed on the UNESCO list as “Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines” andcomprises a series of farmed valleys, with characteristic stone terraces, some of which are irrigated for market garden production, while others are dry and planted with grapevines and olive trees. Battir is on the UNESCO world heritage list due to its terrace farming and irrigation channels.